Music Video - 1st Rough Cut

Below is my first, unfinished, draft edit of my music video production



Strengths.

- Quality and composition
I think my music video, so far, is very well shot and features strong composition. This is partly down to the high quality of the camera we have been lucky enough to be able to borrow (a Canon 700d). Using a DSLR instead of a handheld, flip camera improves the image quality of shots and produces a crisper, clear image. In addition, during shoots we have paid special attention to the framing, lighting  and colouration (i.e ISO) as well as the aperture settings for each and every shot, Having consistent lighting and colouration combined with an aesthetically pleasing field of focus results in very appealing and well composed shots.

- Pace and editing
This edit features key synchronisation between the music and lyrics and the visuals. Goodwin outlined this as one of the most common features of music videos and can be seen in many different iconic videos from across the decades. When there is a slight tonal shift, at 0:36, the boy puts the photo in his pocket and starts to leave. Due to the shift in the music and the resultant visual development, the audience get a perception of progression and purpose. In addition, when the boy leaves his house completely (at 0:43), the door slams right on the beat of the music and as the drums are heard for the first time. This also constructs an association between the music and the visuals but also contributes pace and rhythm to the product as a whole.

- Camera Shots
We used a wide variety of different shots in this initial edit. On location, we had two tools at our disposal, both capable of creating interesting, different and diverse shots. These were a professional shoulder mount, and a tripod. The shoulder mount allowed us to create stable tracking shots, following a character as they moved through a shot. Using this instead of using the camera hand held makes the shot smoother and the overall effect steady and stable. An example of one of the many shots created using this mount can be seen at 1:52. Tracking a character like seen in this shot contributes to the overall impression of movement and travel commonly found within music videos of this genre. In addition, the tripod allowed us to shoot stationary shots that also helped to construct a sense of travel as a character could step into frame, walk across it, and then leave it again - clearly giving the impression of movement. An example of one of these shots can be seen at 2:04. Furthermore, we use a rather large number of close ups throughout this initial edit, for example at 0:21. Close ups are commonly used in music videos to improve the relationship between the audience and the characters on screen (who are usually the artist themselves) and as this genre is quite intimate and warm, our use of close ups creates a more personal feel to the overall product, meaning the audience position themselves and sympathise with the character more..

Weaknesses

- Lack of visual variation.
It is clear from this initial edit that a lot of the shots, and a lot of the screen time, is dominated by the characters walking. There is a distinct lack of variation or b roll footage breaking up the video and contributing to the overall setting of the story. Although it is crucial to establish the characters as travelling/ moving throughout the video, it is also key to vary the shots by introducing filler shots of trees, cars, other pedestrians, wildlife etc. Using such shots will ensure that the audience don't get bored and that we avoid making our video too repetitive and dull. It is common for artists, whose music videos we have taken inspiration from, to feature lots of b-roll footage, intertwined with the main theme of movement/ travel. One of the clearest examples can be seen in Ben Howard's video for  'Only Love' where there are plentiful shots of him cycling through a city,  frequently weaved in with b roll shots of the surrounding locations. This is something we need to focus at our next few shoots to ensure we have substantial b roll that can add variation and deviation to our music video.

- Cork Board shots
What our current edit is missing is the flashbacks to the cork board full of photographs and memorabilia we have planned to film. Over the past few months, we have been collecting and gathering up photographs and props that one would expect to find on a cork board celebrating a young couples relationship. All that is left to do is print off photographs and pin up everything onto the board itself. From here, we will get a few very long, slow panning shots of the completed board (minus the gap left in the middle by the boy removing his favourite photo) to be cross cut to and from. These shots, although also adding variation to the edit, will act as reflective flashbacks adding context to the locations the characters visit. In addition, the very slow and smooth shots are designed to imitate someone looking at it closely and puts the audience in the shoes of the character. The audience have lots of time to look carefully at the board and get a better idea of the narrative as well as forming a stronger relationship with the characters. This is a key aspect of our music video that our current edit is distinctly lacking. Having said that, we are planning it thoroughly and are nearly ready to get these shots done.

- Incomplete shoots
Currently, we still have a few more shoots to do before we begin consolidating the edit and finalising our music video. Like previously mentioned, one of these features the completed cork board. Rhere is a lot of time taken up in this edit with missing footage (the black screens) and without these final, important shoots our music video as a whole is weaker as the narrative lacks some context and a conclusion. Once these last shoots are complete and all footage that needed to be revised is re-shot, we will be in  much closer to completion than we were when producing this initial edit.